


When Life Imitates Art

by freddinnuendo



Category: Queen (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Freddie calls John ‘johnny’ which is the softest thing ever, John is a cute drunk, M/M, Mild Angst, Photographer!John, non caps format, sort of model!freddie, they also confess their feelings for each other whilst drunk a lot, they dance at gay clubs a lot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-08 08:06:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21472756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freddinnuendo/pseuds/freddinnuendo
Summary: john deacon: an aspiring photographer who adores looking at beautiful things and taking photographs of said beautiful things and sticking them on his bedroom wall so he can admire them forever.freddie mercury: one of those beautiful things.
Relationships: John Deacon/Freddie Mercury
Comments: 10
Kudos: 43





	1. introduction

john was sixteen when he got his first professional camera. it was a polaroid 'swinger 20' and he received it off his parents for his birthday. it wasn't the fanciest of cameras, with it only shooting in black and white and the lens being pretty crappy, but john was over the moon having it been his first ever camera and he could finally kickstart his passion for photography.

john enjoyed looking at beautiful things, and photography allowed him to not only discover these beautiful things, but capture them on film so he could see them forever. he'd then take his little photos which were dispensed out of the camera and stick them in rows on his wall. his room was obliterated with photos of trees, leaves, people on the train, people in the park, his record collection, his parents, his sister julie, the occasional photo of him... the list went on.

the deacons weren't particularly wealthy, either, and considering every row of film for john's polaroid cost around 2 shillings and comparing that to mr arthur deacon's wage, which was 3 shillings an hour and he worked for six hours (and these 21 shillings had to feed a family of four), money was pretty tight. but john's parents always found a way for their son to continue his work.

john wasn't sure which career he wanted when he grew up. he knew he wanted to do something involving photography, but he was also especially good at maths and science, and his father had always tried to convince him to find an academic career instead of one in media and art...

and so john continued his studies, working incredibly hard day in, day out, whilst filling his extra time with snapping shots of the little ladybird which made its way onto john's windowsill and the crumbling lotus flower in his mother's bedroom. he then stuck the films onto his wall.

john was now nineteen, nearing twenty, and he had found his adoration for photography had never faltered, and his work was fairly well known around west london.  
well, by 'fairly well known' he meant that he had slithered his way into a small art gallery once or twice and the odd viewer would ask him about his work, but he was proud nevertheless.

he also found that he much more enjoyed snapping photos of people, living creatures. when he was younger he favoured flowers and trees and leaves, but now he would usually ask a funky person in the street wether he could take their photograph. he liked meeting extraordinary people and remembering them by sticking their portrait on his wall.

he also organised his little wall of photos. his least favourites being situated on the far left, his 'okay' ones being in the middle, and his favourites on the right. most of them were in the middle of the wall, but the right side was also covered in images of the most interesting people john had ever met.

every shot had a scribbled date on the bottom of the date in which they were taken. his most recent one of a man sporting a crop top with a lion it and a fierce red lip, the date 'may 23rd, 1970' scribbled in the lower right corner. 

back in 68, john also realised he wasn't totally straight, which came at him like a huge slap in the face. it was like an ice cold bucket of water had been poured all over him when he found himself kissing a bloke with dark purple lipstick and massive false eyelashes. john wasn't sure if he was a drag queen or something, all he knew was that he had asked the man to pose for a photograph and the next moment he was pressed up in the middle of a stone wall and the other man.

and that was basically the beginning of a new life. john wasn't really open about his sexuality, though, with it still being the 70s and all that malarky. plus, john didn't particularly look gay, so that kept him safe from the violent homophobes that lurked the streets day and night, which john had to admit was a plus.

he applauded anyone who didn't give a shit what anyone else though, lived their life how they wanted to and stuck up a middle finger to any fucker that wanted to disrupt that. he found them to be the most beautiful of all humans.

and so, when mr john deacon met mr freddie mercury, he was sure that he would never have the pleasure of meeting a more gorgeous person in his life.


	2. blue, green colour’s flashin’

𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟎

john had somehow found himself in the newly built serpentine sackler gallery, which was in the heart of kensington gardens, his work being displayed on a little exhibit. he also found himself talking to a bald man with thick, square glasses and a tallit hung loosely around his neck. 

"these are just exquisite!" the man said, gazing up at a rather large image of his sister julie, which was taken on the day she finally agreed to model for him. she was peering over her shoulder with an innocent yet flirty glance, her eyes sparkling. it was a very beautiful image, john must admit.

"thank you sir. that's my sister." john replied proudly, tucking his long hair behind his ears as to not let it get in his way.

"i see you have a keen eye for portraits." the man dreamily pointed out, to which john could only nod.

this man wasn't the first to talk to him that day, and john must admit, he was getting pretty tired of being stood in the same position and place for almost five hours. he couldn't wait to get home, but he also knew that he needed to pop into the local market which was running close to the kensington museum for some fruit, and that thought alone made his feet ache.

he honestly just wanted to shoo this man off so he could pack up his things, get to the market and get home as quickly as he could so he finally had the chance to kick his feet up and relax.

when the man finally did sod off, john did exactly that; he packed up and rushed out the door (not before buying a croissant from the kiosk in the museum... he heard they were to die for). he grabbed his shopping list from his pocked and gazed upon it.

_strawberries___  
_watermelon_  
_cherries_  
_blueberries_  
_bananas_  
_Don't spend too much, dimwit, you aren't made of money _

when he wasn't exhibiting his art, john worked at a supermarket, Sainsbury's to be exact, around fifteen minutes from his rented apartment in putney. it wasn't the greatest pay, so john had to watch what he bought and how much he ate on a daily basis, but it was enough to live by and that was good enough for him.

he hated it, though. he was purely there for the money to survive, and so he hadn't even bothered getting on first name bases with his co-workers, never mind making any friends there. they were a bunch of twits, anyways. 

john made his way to the market, his photographs being held underneath his left arm, his camera hanging around his neck. it was a new one, a canon F1, which he was particularly over the moon about. 

the market wasn't too long of a walk, around three minutes actually, but john's aching feet made it seem like a lifetime.

he finally got there and, upon seeing the masses of people, sighed and headed straight for the store which supplied his desired fruit. however, he didn't exactly know where the fruit stall was, and so he resorted to asking a shopkeeper. 

"excuse me love, would you mind telling me where the fruit stall is situated?" he asked politely.  
"excuse you? what makes you think you have the right to call me love? jog on!"  
john's eyebrows raised to the top of his head but he decided not to question the lady and went on to the next stall.

"excuse me sir, would you happen to know where the fruit stall is?" john asked a very stocky gentlemen, red faced and plump, who was selling ties and cufflinks. john must be in the clothing retail section, the complete opposite of where he wanted to be.

"and why should i tell you?" he answered with his gruff, deep voice.  
john couldn't be bothered with his rudeness and nodded, looked down and carried on. 

he went to the stall next to the gentleman's and headed in, hoping for the best.  
he came across somebody with his back turned to him, with very light hair, not entirely blonde but it was surely getting there.  
"excuse me?" john managed to let out, causing the other person to turn around and acknowledge he was here. in all honesty, john thought the person was a woman, and so was certainly surprised to see otherwise.

"whats up, mate?" the blonde man asked.

"could you tell me where the fruit stall is... please? I've already asked two people but they were utterly hopeless." john put on a pout, hoping that would convince the fair haired man.

"oh yeah, did you ask gary?"  
"who's gary?"  
"the bloke next to us"  
"yeah"  
"yeah he's a tool."

john laughed but found himself grow irritable... why couldn't anybody give him directions to the bloody fruit stall?

"sadly mate, im sorta new so i have no clue, but... freddie?!" the man shouted, causing john to flinch.

and at that moment, another man bolted in front of them, smiling.  
"whats up roger?" he said, his thick 'posh' accent flowing through john's veins. he couldn't pinpoint the accent just right but he knew it was satisfying to listen to.

"d'ya know where the fruit stall is? this bloke's askin'" 'roger' asked, nodding towards a still john.

'freddie' turned to face john, a bright smile on his face. john would have thought about how his smile was radiant and his eyes were bloody beautiful, them having a deep, mysterious chocolate colour, but he truly was in too much achy pain and his mind was pretty much focused on that. which also meant he was in a terribly sour mood.

"fruit stall?"  
john nodded, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. yes, the fruit stall, he thought. just the fucking fruit stall!

"sure.. take a left from here, straight up till you hit the centre of the market, take another left, then a right and it should be smack bang in front of you, darling."

darling, john wondered. no man has ever called me darling. weird. 

weird, yet pleasant. john would have to come back and ask to take this man's photograph one day. he was truly exquisite. a shame that john was pretty pissy on this particular day, otherwise he would have jumped at the chance to have a little modelling session with 'freddie' right now, but he really couldn't be arsed. he wanted to get his fruit and go.

"thank you. you two seem to be the only reasonable people around here." john said before turning to leave.

"oh darling, im blushing!" freddie said before john left the stall, a confused feeling rushing through him.

confused yet utterly and completely intrigued. he had to get this man's photograph. he had to get it because he was quite possibly the most exotic man he had ever seen and quite frankly he never wanted to forget him.

john was also certain that his photograph, or photographs if john was lucky enough, would definitely take up a place on john's right side of the wall.

•••

"how do you want me, dear?" freddie asked, twisting and turning on the stool which had been provided for him. 

"um...turn a little left and sorta gaze over your shoulder.." john suggested, trying to get freddie in the perfect position and angle for his shot.

john had somehow found himself in the back of freddie's stall at kensington market, surrounded by a plethora of fabrics and brightly coloured scarves, getting ready to photograph him. 

john had managed to convince himself that the reason why he stuffed all of yesterday's fruit down his throat and eaten it within an hour was because he was hungry, not because he wanted an excuse to go back to freddie's stall to take up a photograph opportunity.

freddie had been over the moon, and that was an understatement. his exact reaction was, accompanied by many squeals:

"oh my god, darling, i'd LOVE to! oh, i've never been asked for a photo before, i must tell you that my heart is racing! i might cry! Roger! bring me some tissues, rapido! i might start sobbing with happiness!"

freddie's reaction also had john feeling over the moon, and was so thrilled that the man he had been thinking about for the past 16 hours agreed to let him taking his photo! john knew that he would never come across someone more glamorous, more flamboyant than freddie in his life, and he was so glad he had taken up his offer.

and so now, in the back room, freddie was dressed in a funky red, orange, black and white kimono which was draped gracefully over his body, the silk parting ways just over his knees, his unruly and 'poofy' hair curling all over the place, his hand holding a rather sophisticated glass of champagne. considering freddie owned a market stall, he mustn't have been well off at all, perhaps even penniless, but if john had seen him in the street in his everyday attire, he would have thought he owned all the riches in the land.

freddie took a sip of his champagne before balancing it calmly in between his fingers, resting it on his palm. he was now looking at john over his shoulder, a mischievous yet innocent glint in his eye.

"perfect," john said. "now... don't..blink."  
freddie giggled and did exactly as he was asked.

a mild flash went off. "cool. now, do a freestyle. whichever positions you want. gonna take a couple more, if thats alright?"

freddie nodded enthusiastically. "of course, honey, take as many as you need. i must say, i'm loving all the attention."

of course you would. john smiled and brought the camera to his eye again, placing his finger on the button

freddie did a range of poses. he turned around to fully face john, leaned back, and raised his champagne glass, a smirk on his face. Flash!

"oh, i have a perfect idea!" he cried, before walking up to a grinning john. "here, sweetie, do you mind putting this somewhere?" he said, handing his glass to john.

he then went off for a mere two seconds to grab a lower stool, placing it in the middle of the room, and placing his left foot on top of it. john let out a huff of laughter when freddie also placed his hand on his hip and shook his head seductively as if to clear his face of wandering hairs. Flash!

"how much film do you have left, dear?" freddie wondered of about ten minutes of endless photographs.

truth be told, john hadn't been keeping track.

"uh... two more.. we can do two more." john smiled and nodded, not really wanting to stop their little photoshoot right there.

they were having a blast. john was in a much better mood than he was yesterday.

"you're in a much better mood than yesterday, mister."

it was almost as if freddie had read his mind. it was at that moment then that john realised that he liked getting his mind read. like someone was crawling inside him and was able to see his deepest, darkest thoughts. he liked the idea of freddie reading his mind, anyways.

"was a crappy day.. i had a photograph exhibit at the museum down the road and had to be stood for hours on end! my feet were bloody killing and nobody would tell me where the fruit stall is... well, then you did." john managed to cover up his blush.

freddie gasped with excitement. "an exhibition?! oh, darling, you should've told me! i would have come and took a peep!" 

john laughed. "i didn't even know who you were at that point, freddie." 

freddie just shrugged. "so? if anybody came up to me asking to tag along for their little exhibit who's as cute as you, i'd most certainly go!"

john found that this blush was harder to conceal than the last one. 

"oh, you're so cute." freddie pinched his cheek. oh, how john wished he had that much confidence. it was almost as if freddie wasn't scared of anything. and john loved it.

john just let out a cough and waited for his camera to develop the last photograph. once it did, he shook it and passed all the afternoon's photographs over to freddie.

"oh wow." he said in awe. "you really caught all my best angles." 

"i aim to please." john grinned and nodded his head in a sort of mock-bow. 

"you'll have to come back another day and we can do more... if you want to, that is. i had a really fun time." freddie's face turned out in a wide and shining smile, one which john happily returned.

"maybe my next museum exhibition can be all about you. you're by far my best model."

"oooh, is that what you say to all the ladies?"

john scoffed. "nah, don't swing that way i'm afraid." john didn't know why he came out with that, knowing the risks of letting a near enough stranger know about his sexuality, especially as in this day and age it was classed as a huge sin and incredibly immoral, but john felt a sense of comfort with the other man and he somehow knew that freddie wasn't like the rest of the narrow minded fools in society.

freddie returned john's comment with a smirk.  
"good lad." he replied with a funny tone and john let out a chuckle.

"how does tomorrow sound, darling?" freddie asked and john was more than surprised at his eager tone.

"sure. tomorrow's perfect. i might be a decent customer and buy something, too."

"oh, thank god. i could definitely do something wonderful with you, clothing wise." 

john broke out a wild smile and packed up his things. "ill see you tomorrow, then.. 11am?"

"mm-hm! bye bye, darling."

•••

**tallit** = a jewish prayer scarf/shawl


	3. all that grace, all that body

john kept to his word and, after the next days 11am photo session, he gave his shots of freddie to the museum person who controls all the exhibits and hoped for the best.

when he got a letter through the mail saying that the photos will indeed be shown in the museum, john ran straight to freddie at the market and flapped the letter about. freddie was over the moon and, a few squeals later, engulfed the younger man in a crushing hug and thanked him a thousand times.

a week after the exhibition, which was a success, john found himself sat behind the market counter alongside roger whilst freddie stood in front of them, leaning on the counter with his cheeks in his palms, his elbows holding him up.

"why don't we go out for drinks later on?" freddie proposed, and john started to fade out of the conversation a little. he knew he wasn't in their inner circle and that the invitation most likely wasn't aimed towards him.

"sure! where? the one we normally go to?" roger replied, referring to his and freddie's usual gay club they go to. freddie nodded. "why of course, where else?" he giggled.

john stayed silent until freddie turned towards him with a cheeky smile. "you coming, dear?"

john's mouth opened slightly, not expecting an invite at all. "oh...am i invited?"

"obviously, deaky." roger laughed. john quirked an eyebrow at the new nickname but found he didn't hate it. infact, it made him feel all warm inside, knowing that he now has a nickname and does that now mean... he's considered their friend? 

"where did that nickname come from?" freddie laughed and poked roger in the shoulder.

"well, you have 'fred'.. or 'dickhead'-" freddie punched him softly. "i have rog. now john has deaky. he's our friend now so it makes sense. plus brian has 'bri'"

john wondered who this 'bri' person was but concluded that he might also be with them tonight in the club, so decided not to ask.

john couldn't help but scream inside at the idea that freddie's friends had accepted him. sure, he had people he talked to, but no real friends, and so this was music to john's ears.

but then, a dilemma came to him. how was he possibly supposed to afford to go out with freddie and roger tonight? after john moved out of his parents house, he had always been stuck with below minimum wage jobs. his last place of work had been the supermarket but he left because of the appalling pay. now he was just relying on his photography and museum stuff to get him by.

the peculiar thing was, however, was that he didn't really get paid much for his museum exhibitions. perhaps £5, £10 if he was lucky. it was enough money to get by on but he didn't really have any luxuries. basic shelter, food and clothes. so how john was going to afford tonight he didn't know.. maybe he'd just have to drink free tap water from the bar and lie and say it was vodka? 

"where are we going?" john asked, silently begging it to be a super cheap place.

"nowhere too fancy. vauxhall tavern." 

john knew the vauxhall tavern very well. had met a couple of his snogging partners there, actually.

"ah.. i know that one." the photographer smiled and nodded. freddie slung his arm around his shoulders, causing a shock of electricity to shoot through john's veins.

"oh, are you cold lovie?" - freddie must have took note of the shivers.

"no no, just a little fidgety, i guess." 

freddie slowly nodded then averted his eyes back to roger. "what time?"

"7pm good for you john?"

john nodded with a wide grin. and then suddenly, freddie turned to the younger man.  
"would you like to come over mine and roger's at around 6 ish to get ready, deaky?" freddie asked, his smooth and calming voice filling john up with warmth.

"oh..yeah, sure. what's the address?"  
"here." roger replied, handing john a folded up piece of paper. john unfolded it and read the address infront of him.

"oh! you guys literally live five minutes away from me!" john relaxed at the thought. he didn't need to trek over the other side of london after all.

freddie's voice was the last thing john heard before exiting the door and heading home. "well! what a coincidence! now, i know you have duties to fulfill, darling, so we won't hold you captive for much longer. we'll see you tonight!"

•  
6:07pm

freddie almost ran to the door which had been knocked twice. the older man was impatiently waiting for john's arrival and, now that he had finally turned up, was incredibly excited.

being with john made freddie so happy. john made him feel worthwhile when he'd bound into his and roger's stall and ask to take freddie's photograph. john had also told him that he held a special place on his bedroom wall.. on the right side, where all his favourite photographs were placed.

freddie also didn't want to lie and say he didn't hope for more than a friendship with the cutesy photographer, nor did he try to convince himself out of it. he decided to just let their friendship grow, and if it grew into something more, freddie certainly wouldn't object. he wanted to run his fingers through those ruffled light brown locks and place little tiny kisses all over his face. john was positively adorable.

"sorry i'm a little late, traffic was a little bitch and i got too caught up in eating some jam on toast." john started, standing outside the apartment door as if to wait for permission to enter the building. freddie laughed and stepped to the side, letting john into the flat. 

the place wasn't too impressive, it only having one living room and two bedrooms. it had a little tiny kitchen too, but freddie and roger hardly ever used it, much preferring indian or chinese takeaway. but, it was much nicer than john's little terrible excuse for a living area.

"this is a cosy little place you have here.. much nicer than my old shack." john laughed, letting freddie lead him to the living room, where roger was sat sucking on a lollipop.

"hi deaks.. ready to rock n roll?" he smirked.  
"mhm." john replied, "i haven't went out in so long."

freddie appeared behind john, grasping him softly by the shoulders and placing his chin between the crook of his neck. john wanted freddie to stay like this forever, never back away or let go. he wanted to feel freddie's face this close to his always. wanted to be assured that he was never too far away from him.

john didn't know where all these jumbly feelings came from. at first it was just a tiny bit of physical attraction. john couldn't say that he wanted to jump freddie the moment he lay eyes on him, but the thought of tracing his fingers along the older man's jawline and cheekbones appealed to him even now.

"it's gonna be so fun! we'll have a blast, won't we dearies?" freddie cried, being mindful of the volume of his voice considering his mouth was just next to john's ear. 

john shrugged freddie off playfully, knowing that if he stayed relishing in the closeness of the other man for too long then it'd start to look suspicious. and that was the last thing john wanted.

it wasn't like he was ashamed. he wasn't ashamed at all, actually. he knew freddie was gay too (which was a plus!) and so he never really tried to hide the fact that he was gay and enjoyed close contact with freddie. he just didn't show it off either, and he knew that if anyone found out about his dirty little crush on the older man, things could go from 100 to 0 real quick...

"can't wait...where we going?" the photographer wondered, twiddling with the zip on his jacket. roger shrugged. freddie looked deep in thought.

"oh! there's a newish club in town.. called heaven or something, i don't know.. looked interesting, though." 

the three boys agreed to meet there and roger called up 'bri', telling him the address of the club and, ending the call with a wide smile and a double thumbs up, john had to assume that it was all A-okay and they were all ready to go.

•••

when the four of them arrived at the club, it was all flashing lights and booming disco music. john was happy to report that brian and him were getting along like they'd known eachother for years and he couldn't be happier.

however, the fear of not being able to afford anything at the bar remained present. he didn't want anybody to buy anything for him out of pity. and he didn't want to come across as needy or annoying. it was a lose lose situation, effectively.

much to john's dismay, the other three headed straight to the bar the moment they set foot in the club.

"deaky, love, what you having?" freddie asked, placing his hand just above the small of john's back and the younger man couldn't help but lean in a little to the touch. surely freddie wouldn't have noticed?

"uhm... nothing yet, i'll have something later. not really thirsty." john smiled awkwardly. yes, he will be having something later. tap water.

"oh don't be silly! look. i'll buy you a drink if you want." freddie winked, elbowing john's side playfully. john raised an eyebrow and decided to play along with freddie's game.

"oh i bet you say that to all the pretty guys."  
freddie nearly choked at john's reply, not expecting it at all.  
"only my favourite ones."  
john turned into a tomato yet again. figuratively, not literally. obviously.

john decided not to answer freddie's flirtatious comment but then decided to take up freddie's drink offer. he ordered the cheapest alcoholic drink at the bar, cloudy cider, and took a few sips before settling it down on the bar in-front of him.

"so," freddie started. "what got you into photography?" he asked.

"well... my parents got me my first camera on my sixteenth birthday which was pretty cool. they knew i always loved to look at pretty things so they decided i could have a camera to always be able to look at them..."

"the camera films were awfully expensive so sometimes i gave up my dinners for a fresh strip which of course my mum didn't agree with but i was old enough to decide what i wanted... i was also incredibly stubborn."  
both men laughed at past john's antics and freddie encouraged to tell him more.

"i didn't start photographing people till about a year ago. i used to just spot fancy people in the streets and ask them to pose for me." john laughed, brushing some hair from his eyes to behind his ear. freddie thought that gesture was awfully adorable.

"you're a very good photographer, darling. and i'm honoured to be considered a 'fancy' person," the older man struck a pose. "although i am quite regal, aren't i?" he joked and john giggled, nodding slowly in agreement.

"you know what we're going to do tonight, honey?"  
"what's that?" john wondered.  
freddie leaned in close towards john's ear so he could hear him over the blasting music;  
"we're going to get absolutely shit faced, then dance a little, then force brian to take us home because we won't be able to stand up."

even though john barely had any money, he couldn't refuse freddie's offer and made a mental note to pay him back later.

•

another cider, a gin and tonic and 5 shots later, both freddie and john were, as promised, shit faced. brian had been the responsible one and only had a pint of ale so he was still legally allowed to drive. he truly was the mother hen of the group.

roger was drunk too but not nearly as drunk as the other pair. they had since moved to a table in a corner of the club and had continued their mischief there. freddie and john sat side by side on the inside of the booth whilst roger and brian resided on the other side of the table.  
freddie slumped his head on john's shoulder and the youngest wasn't complaining one bit.

"oh! we haven't had a dance yet, love! come on, dance with me.." freddie chirped up and turned to look john in the eye. john was hesitant.  
"oh come on, johnny... pretty please?" freddie sprung up the puppy eyes and john knew this was incredibly unfair but he also knew that he was a gonner.

"fine.." he rolled his eyes and took freddie's hand as he stood up. the former turned towards brian and roger who were deep in conversation.  
"me and john are gonna have a dance, don't shag whilst we're gone!" freddie laughed and almost ran towards the dance floor, dragging john with him.

freddie didn't hesitate at getting close enough to john that they could feel each other's breath on their faces. the floor was incredibly crowded with other grinding couples and so space was very limited. that was one of the excuses that both boys came up with, anyways.

joe esposito's 'lady, lady, lady’ came on the speakers, which was ironic as there seemed to be no ladies in sight in the club, but all the couples seemed to get right into the beat, john and freddie not being an exception.

the beat was considerably slower than the other disco tunes that had played previously, but it wasn't necessarily a slow dance song. more like a slow, loving grinding song, if you like.

as the chorus kicked in, john giggled and wrapped his right arm around freddie's neck as freddie playfully nestled his face in between john's shoulder and throat, humming along to the tune, creating a soft vibration which sent shivers throughout john's whole body.

they were dancing so very closely and intimately and john thought they were in a movie. freddie looped his arm around john's waist, bringing him impossibly closer and walking backwards in a funky rhythmic way in tune to the song.

john had never felt so at bliss. neither had freddie. john wanted to be covered with freddie's scent, all over. he wanted to feel the warmness that he only ever seemed to feel around freddie 24/7. he had never ever ever felt this way about another person.

"i'm going to fall in love with you." john breathed, nuzzling his face in freddie's hair as the elder hummed in surprise into john's neck. however, freddie didn't push him away nor disagree with his confession, and john felt as if he was floating on air and his insides had been turned upside down and cruelly invaded with billions of butterflies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not to toot my own horn but the line ‘i’m going to fall in love with you’ has me feeling all dizzy with love.  
hope you enjoyed this one!


	4. earl grey and lemon

considering the fact that freddie had not *once* mentioned john's little confession the night before, john concluded that he was so pissed up that he had simply forgotten about it. if he himself was being completely honest, the memory wasn't very clear in his mind either, but how could he forget something so monumental?

the only excuse he would have if freddie did bring it up was that they were both pissed. kaylied. shit faced. incredibly very very very drunk. which they were, so it wouldn't be a complete lie.

because freddie hadn't bought it up or made any sign or gesture to that he did remember the eight words john said to him last night, john decided to not bring it up either and continuing to be friends with and photograph freddie as if nothing had happened. 

but, again, being honest, it wasn't really a confession. john never said 'i love you'. it was just a hypothesis... 'i'm going to fall in love with you...doesn't mean it will happen, freddie. just a prediction, but i was never any good at making scientific hypothesis' at school so that just further proves my point of how it is unlikely to happen'.  
that was another excuse john came up with in his mind, and he made a mental note of it.

why did you say it? because we were both pissed. is that the real reason? yes. and the fact that it was never a confession, simply a hypothesis.

yes, john could pull this off. if he played smart enough.

but, all this thinking seemed to be completely useless as freddie had in no way hinted at that he might know about john's 'hypothesis'... so what was the point in using all this brain power for a pack of excuses? better to be safe than sorry, john thought.

john walked into freddie's shared apartment with roger this time, instead of the market on kensington high street. freddie had called to say that he had set out a fancy layout including all of his brightly coloured fabrics and pillows and accessories and that he thought it looked 'rather elegant' and most certainly wanted his photograph surrounded by the organised mess!

john agreed and, whilst walking to the apartment, he stopped by a flimsy little flower-shop cart ran by a little woman in her possible 70s. john purchased a bouquet of freesias and it only dawned on him when he was outside the apartment complex that this could possibly trigger an unwanted memory of a certain hypothesis and john was much too nervous. and so he chucked them in the trash.

he would learn later on down the line, precisely 9 years later that freesias were freddie's ultimate favourite flower and he would have been delighted if john would have walked into the flat that day with the bouquet in his hands. 

he knocked once, twice, thrice until the door flung open, revealing a flushed roger. was he panting? 

"you alright, rog?" said john, walking past him to hand his coat up on the coat rack. 

"yeah. freddie's so stressed about this photo session and he's got me running around the bloody place supplying everything for the background.. i even had to lift the fancy chair out of his room into the living room! and he just sat there and watched!" 

john laughed at roger's complaining and, not wanting to waste another moment, made his way towards the living room, expecting to see a mess.

he was actually greeted with a beautiful mixture of reds, oranges, yellows, navy blues and every type of fabric scarf that existed in the world. it screamed freddie and the jumble of colours made john chuckle. it was perhaps the most extravagant background he had ever photographed. he loved it.

"john, you're here! oh, please excuse the mess outside the door, darling. focus on this fine piece of art instead." freddie greeted him whilst gesturing to the stacks of pillows and feathers in front of him. in the middle of it all stood an armchair layered with shiny gold and deep red cloth which john assumed freddie would sit.

to their right was a fall lampshade which sort of looked like a tulip which had been turned inside out which was also swinging yellow tassles from the edges. "this used to be mama's" freddie quietly whispered to john, sliding next to him. "she was going to sell it on a car boot sale but i snatched it up before she could do such a thing!"

john wandered off into the kitchen to grab two glasses of water before starting the shoot.  
"i'm going to run a few errands, guys!" roger called out to the two of them.  
"does that include shagging?" freddie cheekily fired back, raising an eyebrow at his blonde friend yet keeping his eyes on the teddy bear he was stitching up in front of him.  
"no, actually. i need to pop into town to grab a few bits. i'll see you both later." - and with that, roger was gone. 

"oh, thank you." freddie nodded as john placed down the water on the table next to him, still keeping his gaze on the teddy patient.  
"just look at mr darcy! isn't he in such a state?" the older man frowned, trying to poke a piece of thread into the tiniest little hole on the sewing needle. 

"mr darcy?" john questioned, taking a sip of his water and watching freddie doing his handy work. and then, the older man propped up the teddy bear and turned it towards john. he raised a little paw and made a waving motion.

"i'm mr darcy!" freddie grumbled in a deep, playful voice. "it's lovely to meet you." - freddie obviously didn't find this voice comfortable at all, having a coughing fit after every sentence.

john decided to play along. "it's lovely to meet you, too, mr darcy. will i be seeing you again?"

mr darcy nodded violently and john wanted to tell freddie to stop! you'll end up having to sew his whole entire head on then!  
"of course! if mr mercury here doesn't cock up my surgery, that is, because if he does, i'll die a long, painful death and my blood will spurt everywhere!" 

john cracked up at that. "oh be quiet, freddie." 

the older man was giggling along and he held up mr darcy to his ear, almost as if him and the teddy bear were sharing top secret girly secrets.  
freddie pulled a shocked face at to whatever mr darcy said to him and his eyes were practically begging john to ask him what mr darcy had told him.

"what did he say?" john asked, grinning slightly.  
"he said he doesn't like you."  
john gasped loudly in mock offence. "what?" he doesn't like moi?"  
freddie shook his head, trying ever so hard to prevent himself from bursting out in laughter. "why ever not?"  
"because he thinks you're a liar." freddie replied, placing mr darcy back onto his lap and sticking the sewing needle back into his side, continuing to sew him back up.

"and what have i lied about, mr darcy?"  
freddie held the cuddly toy up against his ear again.  
"he says that you're lying to yourself about something and you'd be surprised at who knows."  
john was rendered speechless and awfully confused and so left it at that. they had a photoshoot to begin.

•••

freddie situated himself on the chair in the middle of the room and placed mr darcy on his lap, the teddy bear lopping to the side a little bit. he brought a blue scarf with him and held it in his right hand. "how do you want me, darling?" 

john looked at the perspective and then the camera angles he was aiming to achieve.  
"just.. slump back a little bit... raise your chin?" the photographer wondered, looking through the eyepiece on the camera. freddie did as he was told and placed his arm on the arm of the chair.

"now...wave the scarf around a little bit. act all regal, you know?"  
"oh i'm excelled at being regal, just you watch lovie." - and so john watched as freddie held a flirty glint in his eye and pushed his chest out a little. he still had his chin up but he lowered his head a little, giving his face a more sultry and mysterious look.

john pointed the lens at the posing men and tried to capture every last one of freddie's flawless features. it was harder than it looked, however, as it was simply impossible to catch every flawless thing about freddie in a single photograph.

"okay so, i'm going to take this picture from a few angles.. just do exactly what you're doing now, you're doing fab." john winked at freddie, earning a shy nod. freddie stayed in his position whilst still waving the scarf about and john got to work.

snap! he took the first image whilst stood to the far left of freddie, capturing the side of freddie's face. the image allowed the viewer to see every cut and curve of freddie's facial structure and it truly was mesmerising. john was taken aback at this man's beauty.

"i hope you're not checking me out, mister." freddie teased, still keeping his eyes dead in front of him. john chuckled.  
"you can see your cheekbones really well in this one picture." the younger boy admitted whilst albeit a little flushed. freddie wanted to kiss those cute scarlet cheeks and tell him that he is welcome to check him out any day. but alas, he couldn't.

"why thank you. roger says you could slice an apple on them!"

john nodded in agreement and proceeded to take different angles of the scene in front of him. he took picture from up and below, from side to side.  
"you're the best looking model i've ever had." john had taken many pictures of many people over the years and yet he still 100% thought that freddie was the prettiest... and, if he was being brutally honest, the sexiest too.

freddie tried his hardest to hide his blush and he was so thankful john didn't mention it. he had to have noticed it, of course. freddie wasn't a subtle blusher, shall we say.

his whole face turned red when he blushed. a deep dark red. his eyes would become watery with the happiness and flattery he felt in his heart and his heart would go a million miles per hour.  
however, with john, his face would go so red it was almost black, a tiny tear rolled down his cheek and his heart would go a trillion miles per hour.  
freddie had never really had a proper crush and so john seemed like a breath of fresh air. 

freddie didn't realise he had been staring into space surrounded by his thoughts of precious john until another snap and bright light caught his attention. john had taken a sneaky photo of freddie whilst he was mid daydream and the older boy was positive he looked awful.

"you terror! throw that away right now!" freddie shrieked, jumping over to john who was now shaking the freshly produced polaroid.

•••

"where abouts do you live then? you have most likely told me but my memory is terrible dear." freddie asked as the two of them were sat on the apartment couch watching a game show on tv.

"not too far from here in a shabby little apartment. it's nowhere near as nice as this, i must say." john replied, popping another toffee into his mouth. the toffees had gone a tad soft in the warm environment so they resembled fudge rather than toffee, but they were freddie's favourites and the older man had almost scoffed them all.

"oh i doubt that. i bet it's wonderful."  
john wrinkled his nose in doubt. "i mean, it's good enough for me but it's not the most aesthetically pleasing place." 

freddie came up with something. "can i see it?" 

john had never been one to have his friends over his house. as a child, he despised sleepovers and would refrain from having them at all times. there was one week when john's friend alex had to stay at his house for a whole week because his mum was on holiday in tenerife. john adored alex, but as soon as he left his house on sunday night, john had never felt happier.

he didn't know what it was. he just preferred to be alone. 

freddie noticed john's hesitation. "you can say no if you want to, john. i can't promise i wont scribble your face out on all our photos together but i won't be mad." he winked and john laughed in response.

"you wouldn't dare." the younger boy challenged, earning him a raised eyebrow.

"i can be pretty fiery you know honey." freddie shoved into him lightly.  
john nodded. "don't worry, i believe you."

john didn't want to say no to freddie, though. freddie was one of the very few people on this earth who john wouldn't ever reject.

"to answer your previous question, yes, you can come over to my apartment. as long as you stay out of trouble." 

freddie gasped loudly and planted his palm against his chest in mock offence. "i wouldn't do such a thing!" he cried. he then proceeded to lay his head on john's bony shoulder.

"i can't wait." freddie said, breathing in john's lovely scent. he smelt of earl grey tea and lemon. freddie quickly became addicted to this concoction of scents and decided he wanted to experience it every day. plus, that also meant being dangerously close to john everyday and to that, freddie couldn't care less. 

"mhm, you'll change your mind as soon as you set into that boring old place." john breathed, taking in freddie and the warmth he supplied, realising that he hadn't felt this happy and content in a long while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiya bubbas :)  
sorry this took a while to upload! revision for exams sucks ASS, but it’s the weekend now so hopefully i’ll get another update in either tomorrow or sunday!  
love u all,  
abs
> 
> *btw this chapter isn’t proofread so please forgive me* xxx


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